Municipal Minutes is an electronic newsletter for the community. The monthly e-newsletter provides information about upcoming activities, projects and events in the City of Gainesville. For more information about this e-newsletter, please contact the Communications Office at 334-5017.

It is student move-in time in Gainesville! This year, that includes The Standard at Gainesville, located at the intersection of 13th Street and University Avenue, opening its doors to 1,200 students on Friday, Aug. 18. Given the location and number of students, the City of Gainesville is providing an unprecedented level of coordination to ensure the building and site are safe for students moving in, pedestrians and motorists.

The City of Gainesville has been awarded a Small Matching Category grant from the Department of State’s Division of Historical Resources for fiscal year 2017-2018 in the amount of $40,600. The grant will be used to support a comprehensive survey of mid-century neighborhoods and buildings and to update the city’s existing Historic Preservation Rehabilitation & Design Guidelines. The project will be a collaborative effort between the City of Gainesville Department of Doing, Planning Division, the University of Florida’s Historic Preservation Program and local non-profit organization Gainesville Modern.

The Department of Doing launched Right Site, a web-based zoning portal designed to help users research and explore the City of Gainesville’s zoning ordinance. This new tool provides each applicant a customized map of the location of where their planned project is allowed to operate, and help them understand where uses are allowed “by right” or where they may need to go in front of a review board and/or the city commission. Right Site is available at https://zoning.cityofgainesville.org.

The Department of Doing wants to make it easier for people to know what new development is being considered for Gainesville. On May 4, the department is launching a web-based map, showing all development plans that are under review or recently approved by the city. This allows users to know what is happening in or around their neighborhood, and shows the location of all new projects that are under review and approved.

For each project, the status, application date, project completion date and review cycle are shown with a drawing of the project. “This is part of an ongoing effort to make the development process transparent for our community,” said Department of Doing Director Wendy Thomas. “Our goal is to ensure citizens know what development is occurring. Whether that is putting a sign on the site, putting an ad in the newspaper or creating a map-based notice.“

Residents or students interested in a crash course on local government and city planning and management need look no further than the City of Gainesville itself. Gainesville 101: the 2017 Citizens' Academy is a seven-week program organized by the City of Gainesville Communications Office, and is designed to teach city residents about the inner workings of local government and city management.

Municipal Minutes is an electronic newsletter for the community. The monthly e-newsletter provides information about upcoming activities, projects and events in the City of Gainesville. For more information about this e-newsletter, please contact the Communications Office at 334-5017.

Every year NeighborWorks America, a national non-profit organization, and local partners across the nation mobilize tens of thousands of volunteers to make a difference in the quality of life in local neighborhoods. NeighborWorks Week 2016 will be celebrated Saturday, June 4-Sunday, June 12. This year’s local service project is “Keep it Pleasant!,” a community service project dedicated to preserving and promoting the Pleasant Street Historic District, which takes place Friday, June 10 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

The Neighborhood Housing Development Corporation (NHDC), a local non-profit housing services provider, canvassed the area and identified five homes seeking painting and landscaping repairs. NHDC is partnering with the Gainesville Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) to supply paint and painting supplies through its Residential Paint Voucher Program. The number of projects they are able to complete depends on the number of volunteers they are able to secure. Completed projects will be showcased during a community celebration called “Pleasant in the Park,” held Saturday, June 11 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Pleasant Park, located at 508 NW Second Street in Gainesville.

The Planning & Development Services Department is assisting with planning for this event as an event sponsor. If you are interested in more information on the five homes and/or families, volunteer opportunities or have landscaping materials to donate, please contact Kayla Ellsworth at 352-380-9119.

Residents or students interested in a crash course on local government and city planning and management need look no further than the City of Gainesville itself. Gainesville 101: the 2016 Citizens' Academy is a seven-week program organized by the City of Gainesville Communications Office, and is designed to teach city residents about the inner workings of local government and city management.

The Historic Preservation Division is hosting a community workshop for the Pleasant Street neighborhood Saturday, Feb. 27 from 9-11 a.m. at Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church (630 NW Second St.). The workshop will bring awareness to various resources that are available to residents in the Pleasant Street community. For more information, please call 352-393-8687.